FARM STRESS
Managing Farm and Ranch Stress in 2022 By Laici Neumann and Brent Brewer
Even in the best of times, farming can be an incred-
ibly high-stress occupation. Every day, farmers and ranchers deal with high-risk situations, including the use of large machinery and the handling of unpredictable livestock. In addition to significant risk to life and limb, farmers put in long hours of physical labor well into their later years. Many of their days are spent in the elements—cold, windy winters or the hot, enduring summers—while also worrying about drought, flood, wildfires and snow. When these long hours of risky physical labor in the harsh elements are combined with any number of additional stressors, farmers and ranchers can stress to a breaking point. Often piled on is the additional stressors of the modern world—financial stress, worries over volatile markets—and personal stressors—mid-life crises, marital problems, or the health of a parent, spouse or others, especially if they’re involved in the farming operation. Farm transitions can also cause intense stress. Many farms have been handed down through generations, leading to the additional stress of maintaining a legacy and the setbacks that can come when valued members of the family want to retire and cash out of the business. Add in additional concerns over alcohol or drug abuse in a family or community, medical marijuana and other substances interacting with medications, or untreated mental and physical health issues you could have a recipe for disaster. According to a University of Iowa study, farmers and ranchers have a suicide rate that averages 3.5 times that of the general population. That rate translated to more than 450 producer suicides across nine Midwestern states from 2014 to 2018. While the epicenter of the mental health crisis for farmers is the Midwest, other areas of the country are seeing an increase as well. America's farmers and ranchers have been dealing with a lot lately. As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the need for rural mental health assistance continues to grow. Pandemic-related stressors such as volatile markets, supply chain issues, and skyrocketing input costs have increased concerns about farm stress and the mental health of agricultural producers. GPL Spring 2022
These concerns are well-founded. Today’s rural suicide statistics are reaching heights not seen since the 1980s Farm Crisis. While the urban suicide rate has increased by 3% since 2017, the suicide rate among farmers has increased 27% in that same amount of time. Although farmers and ranchers experience higher levels of psychological distress than the general population, they are less likely to seek help for mental health issues. For those who do seek help, mental health resources are likely not readily available in their rural area. Perhaps most importantly, the likelihood of a farmer or rancher reaching a mental health professional who understands farming is slim to none. The stress of a farming operation is difficult to explain to those outside the industry. Even when producers can connect with a mental health professional, the cultural barrier often causes farmers and ranchers to feel misunderstood or, unfortunately, to actually be misunderstood. Frankly, the stress of a farming operation is difficult to explain. It’s just a different world. Because of this cultural divide, there is now a nationwide initiative to help farmers and ranchers find the mental health services they need. Farm organizations, agricultural lenders and other “front line” groups who interface with farmers and ranchers every day are working together to provide resources for America’s farming community. Efforts of this nationwide initiative include normalizing mental health discussions and treatments, helping farmers and ranchers manage their stress loads, and training rural citizens to recognize the symptoms of stress overload. Based in Oklahoma City, American Farmers & Ranchers (AFR) Cooperative is a general farm organization leading the farm stress initiative in Oklahoma and also providing assistance to farmers and ranchers in surrounding states. The AFR Farm Stress Management Team is a group of agricultural producers who are trained and ready to work directly with producers in mental distress. Members of the team are certified in Mental Health First Aid USA. The goal of the Farm Stress Management Team is twofold. First is to train others in Oklahoma to identify stress in their friends and neighbors. Secondly is to be the front line for
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